Many varieties of slide fasteners have been proposed heretofore, and two of these previously proposed slide fastener assemblies are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,725,938, granted Apr. 10, 1973, and 3,334,387 granted Aug. 8, 1967. In most of the slide fasteners or zippers which have previously been proposed, each of the successive elements or teeth in the two trains of teeth engage one another along the longitudinal axis of the zipper. One disadvantage of these slide fasteners is that occasional excessive pressure or strain applied to the zipper along its length while it is closed will open the train, and releasing the pressure on adjacent teeth or elements in the train will permit a gradually widening gap or opening in the slide fastener.
One object of the present invention is to provide a slide fastener structure in which the release of a single element along the length of the zipper will not cause unsightly gaps, or irreparable damage to the assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a slide fastener assembly which is flexible and yet is positively locking in nature.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a zipper-type assembly in which individual elements along its length may be selectively opened or closed when necessary.